Harvesting Herbal Flowers and My Salt Scrub Recipe

It's flowering herb harvest time! My lavender and chamomile are strung up to dry. Of course, I'll continue to use
fresh culinary herbs for cooking and some flowers for arrangements through late summer. Don't panic, it's not autumn yet! I grow some flowers and herbs for making things like soap, tea, scrubs, and lotions. I also use them for aromatherapy in my home. As a result, I grow so much
lavender and chamomile that I can't possibly use all of it before it
spoils, so I dry it. Flowers are best harvested before they are in full bloom. Before the heat saps them of their oils. In my garden this year, that time was about two weeks ago.

Lavender and Chamomile, hung in my mudroom to dry. It's the first thing that I smell when I walk through the door. I love the
combination of the two fragrances. Chamomile smells so sweet and clean when
it's cut and lavender, well, you know how I feel about that!

I harvest flower essence herbs after several dry days. I cut them in the morning, after the dew has gone, but before the heat of the sun takes their energy (and mine). I tie them in small bunches, (15 or so stems per bunch) being careful not to crush the flowers, and hang them in a cool, dark place with low humidity and good air circulation. In my house, this means that they are dried in the mudroom. Hence, the dark photos.

Herbal flower harvesting also provides me with a wonderful opportunity to make making fresh batches of scrub, scented water, lotion, soap, and a whole host of other things. Today, I'm sharing my basic salt scrub recipe. You can fragrance it as you like. The one that I'm making today is Chamomile and lavender.

I keep my scrub in cute little french canisters with plastic scoops. I keep one near the kitchen sink, one near the mudroom sink, and one in the shower. The fragrances change with the seasons.

In a large glass or stainless bowl, combine the first six ingredients until moist. Gently stir in the flower petals. Adjust the moisture by adding more carrier oil or more glycerin, as desired. the mix should stick together but not be soupy. Spoon it into air tight glass containers. To use, moisten skin, rub with scrub and rinse. If you have particularly sensitive skin, use sugar instead of sea salt and use more glycerin. This mixture will make 2 jars full and will keep for six months in a sealed glass container.

Eucalyptus/Mint: use about 1/2 of the amount of oils. Peppermint or Spearmint. SO refreshing!

Lemongrass and Verbena: 20 drops Lemongrass and 10 drops verbena

I'm currently experimenting with verbena and juniper with lily and rose and just a little warm cedar and sandalwood. It smells summery and fresh. I'm not there yet, but if you're interested, let me know and I'll share the recipe when I perfect it.

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Hi! I'm Kimberly. Welcome to Serendipity Refined! This blog is about finding beauty in the ordinary "stuff" of every day life. I'm an expert in furniture painting and refinishing. I love decorating redecorating with vintage, repurposed and found items. I'm a lifelong DIY'er who believes that you can have a gorgeous home on a budget! Sometimes, you'll find me painting furniture and sometimes, I'm baking or crafting or rehabbing our 1950's ranch. It's all here, and I'm sharing it! So join me, won't you? I promise that it won't be boring. If you'd like to know more about me, please check out my About Me Page.

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